The Baldwinsville community is still mourning the loss of 14-year-old Ava Wood after police say she was found shot to death Friday morning. Her father, identified as Christopher Wood, 51, was found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in another room.

Outside St. Mary of the Assumption Church in Baldwinsville, people piled in for a vigil Sunday night.

"The most important thing we can do is try and remember the positives," said Ava's soccer coach at the Syracuse Development Academy, Corey Fonseca. "[She was] an incredible person, like I said, and a bold and fun personality. Someone you showed up and really enjoyed coaching because she was just a great kid."

Fonseca knew Ava since she was a little kid. He described her as a fun person that was very outspoken and that he will always remember how great of a person she was.

What You Need To Know

  • 14-year-old Ava Wood was found dead on Friday morning in an apparent murder-suicide

  • She was a student at Burgee Junior High School

  • She played soccer and was involved in track and field

Sean St. Denis, who also coached Ava, says she would always be joking around and have a good time. He says she had a positive impact on everyone around her.

“You could be having the worst day and you spend five minutes around her and you’re smiling again," said St. Denis. "She seemed to have this sense that if someone was having a bad day then she’d pay a lot of attention to that player. The team was a very close knit team and she was a big part of that."

A moment St. Denis will always remember is when he lost a bet and had to dye his beard blue.

“Saturday I don’t have a blue beard yet so I think maybe they forgot about it and then I walk up to the field on Sunday morning, Ava, big smile on her face, [has a] can of blue spray in her hand," he said. "The next couple minutes they were just spraying me down. I think she sensed how embarrassed I was and then she told one of the girls to put a beard on herself and a mohawk. She played all day with a blue beard and I had to coach all day with a blue beard.”

It exemplified her compassion and fun nature.

"That’s always something I’ll remember about her," said St. Denis.

Many of her classmates, teachers, and neighbors shared similar sentiments, calling her a great student, athlete and friend gone far too soon.